She’s a realtor, so a big part of her job is to discover where people want to live here in the Upper Ohio Valley.
Ohio side or West Virginia side? Rural or urban? On a hill or near flat land? Marshall County, Ohio County, or Belmont County? Big? Small? Medium?
She asks for honesty and she hears the truth.
“I’m licensed in both states so it doesn’t matter what their answer is,” explained Brittany Reilly, one of seven candidates running for an at-large position on Moundsville Council. “I just hate it when I hear them say, ‘Just not in Moundsville.’
“I’ve had people tell me they don’t want to live in Moundsville because of the drugs and crime, so I want to be a part of the solution to that problem. I want to see what’s possible that we’re not doing already,” she insisted. “No one wants to hear that where they live isn’t safe so it’s something I would like to look into if I’m lucky enough to get elected.”
Reilly, a native of Sardis, Ohio, in Monroe County, is a wife and a mother of two who has lived in Moundsville for more than 15 years, so when she hears the negatives about where she and her husband are raising their children, it hurts.
And that’s why she’s running for a council position.
“No one wants to hear that where they live isn’t safe, so it’s something I would like to look into if I’m lucky enough to get elected. I loved growing up in Sardis because it was a small town where there was a lot of closeness with the residents, and I feel that’s possible here in Moundsville,” Reilly explained. “I want that for my kids. I want them to be able to grow up like I did.
“The only way to accomplish that is to be proactive about it,” she said. “When I ask a client about her preferences in areas, I don’t want to hear them eliminate Moundsville. That breaks my heart. I take that personally.”
There are several issues Reilly is concerned with – infrastructure, public transportation, transparency, and economic development – and she communicated those to the residents in attendance at a recent candidates’ forum at the Strand Theatre.
Public safety, however, is atop her list.
“The drug issues are in every community unfortunately, but there’s also the associated crime that goes with it and that’s resulted in a slightly higher crime rate these days than what most residents have seen in the past. It’s a conversation we need to have in Moundsville,” she insisted. “I guess some people out there feel Moundsville has an edge to it. I don’t really feel that way as a resident, but that’s what I hear.
“I believe Moundsville has a lot of potential, but I believe we have to take advantage of more opportunities,” she said. “There are a lot of examples, and yes, the bus levy that was voted down by four council members is an example of that. I believe the people should have been given their right to vote but that’s not what happened, and I’d like to see a balance between preserving our history and fostering growth.”
New Eyes & Ideas
Events like “Jefferson Fridays” not only have attracted Moundsville residents but the food trucks and live and local music also have drawn folks in from outside the county and from across the Ohio River.
For Reilly, those evenings in Moundsville’s historic downtown area along with the events on the riverfront have served as examples of what’s possible when city officials are considering new ideas instead of falling back on the same old practices.
“We’ve seen positive changes since younger members joined the Moundsville council, showing that it’s time to pass the torch to a new generation. For longtime members, this is an opportunity to invite fresh perspectives,” Reilly said. “To keep Moundsville moving forward, voters can help by electing more young leaders who bring new ideas and approaches, rather than continuing the same methods year after year. Embracing change can drive Moundsville toward a brighter future.
“We are the parents of the children that are growing up in Moundsville now. We own the homes here and we’re paying the taxes,” she said. “That’s why I saw the need to run for council now. We need more transparency because our citizens are paying attention now and they want to see more progress and not the same old, same old.”
In some ways, Reilly would like to model some innovation in Moundsville after what has been developed in the city of Wheeling by both the public and private sectors. The $32 million streetscape – funding completely by the State of West Virginia – is only one of several examples.
“Moundsville has a lot of amenities and attractions just like Wheeling does and I believe if we make the right moves as a city, we can attract more tourism and new residents to the city of Moundsville,” Reilly said. “Grand Vue Park has made some great changes over the past 10 years, and we have our parks and great restaurants in Moundsville, too. Plus, we have businesses in the plazas along the (W.Va. Route 2), but I believe there could be much more.
“I would love to see a revitalization project along Jefferson Avenue in Moundsville like what we’re seeing take place in downtown Wheeling right now, and our city needs new infrastructure, too,” she said. “And we do have issues with dilapidated houses and buildings that need to be taken care of at a faster pace because of the negative impact on property values. Those kinds of problems aren’t going to take care of themselves, so I would love to be part of what I believe is possible in the future.”
